The Pendants
by spyteens1234
Summary: Zidane has been missing for four years after the final battle. His younger sister, Sydney, has always dreamed about going to find him. Now with a plan in place to break out of the castle, Sydney gets her chance to find out what happened to him. What happens when there is a new threat to deal with and the original eight cannot stop it? Sydney and her friends rise to the challenge.
1. Chapter 1

Sydney: Hello people. I am only fixing this chapter and any others that are awkward and werid for the moment. read, enjoy, rate, review, etc. I don't own Final Fantasy IX.

* * *

**Chapter 1: what do you think you're wearing?**

_"You can't do this to me Zidane! I refuse to be left behind! I've been a part of this adventure from the very beginning." I told him as we stood at the entrance to the Black Mage Village. He had basically told me to stay behind in the village or go to Lindbum or Alexandria. The whole idea of staying behind wasn't even an option in my mind or anybody else's for that matter. I was only four years younger than him and he was going. Eiko and Vivi were going in and they were younger than I was._

"_I can and I will Sydney. I just don't want to see get hurt." He said, whispering the last part but I still heard it._

"_You know I won't get hurt. You know I can take care of myself. I have as much right as you do to be there." I told him._

"_I don't want to take that chance. You will be staying out here while we head in." He said and I was getting frustrated._

"_Fine, leave me behind, see if I actually care." I told him before I walked out of the village, heading nowhere in particular. I was upset and angry because I had to stay behind, it was like he didn't trust me. _

"_Sydney, wait!" I heard Dagger yell from me. I sighed before stopping. I turned around to see her running to catch up, her short black hair blowing in the wind. _

"_What do you want Dagger?" I asked once she was close enough to hear me. _

"_I wanted to give you this. The synthesis just finished it." She said as she held her out towards me. I took what she had in her hand into my own to see that it was a pendent. It was an sky blue gem in the shape of a very small dagger with a silver chain connected to the top of it. _

"_It's amazing." I told her as I looked at it. _

"_I'm glad you liked it, Zidane picked the design. He thought you might need a little bit of reminding." She said and I just smiled. He always knew what to do even if he wasn't sure what went wrong._

* * *

It's been four years. Four years since that moment. Four years since I saw Zidane. Four years since I felt truly happy. I want him to be here right now but I knew that was impossible at the moment. I laid on my queen size bed, playing with my pendent. I haven't taken it off since I got it. I still remember the conversation that took place. I remember a lot of things I wished that I could just forget about.

"Sydney, get dressed, we have a whole day to prepare for." My best friend, Katherine, stated as she knocked on my door. I sighed before I got up and head towards the door. I opened it to see a girl with bright pink shoulder length hair and bright green eyes standing there. She was wearing a big white and pink dress that reached the floor along with a shiny tiara. She looked like a princess while I didn't.

"Okay, I'm ready, let's go." I told her as I pushed past her and walked down the hall.

"What do you think you're wearing?" She asked me as she took in what I was wearing. I had on blue jeans, a white t-shirt underneath a blue vest, my pendent, dark brown boots and white gloves, my long light brown hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, leaving my bangs and some hair to dangle at the sides of my face. I didn't find anything wrong with my outfit but then again, I was considered a princess of Lindbum at the moment.

"My normal clothes. I may be considered a princess but that is not who I really am. Besides, we don't have time for me to change." I told her as we headed towards the conference hall. It was a very short walk but it felt like forever because Katherine was lecturing me about proper attire. We walked in to see Cid and the heads of all departments gathered around the table, a boy with curly brown hair and hazel eyes was standing up against the wall. He was wearing black pants, a white button down shirt underneath a dark red vest and black dress shoes.

"Looks like somebody didn't get dress properly this morning." He said when he took a good look at my clothes. God, why were they picking on my clothes?

"Sorry Matthew but I plan to run away afterwards." I told him as I stood in between him and Katherine.

"Really? That wouldn't be wise. You'll get caught and then our whole plan will be ruined." He said and I just smiled at that comment. The three of us didn't really talk to each other for the rest of the meeting and we all took off running right after it was done. There were only a few hours left before we made our escape. Our escape to find Zidane. My only chance to know if he is really alive in that stupid tree.


	2. Chapter 2

_Sydney: Hello, chapter 2 of The Pendents is up! I felt bored and I decided to write.  
Owen: Yeah, she should be finishing her english assignment but decided not to.  
Sydney: Yeah but that's okay. Chapter two is done, I can go and sleep cause I gotta get up early tomorrow. It's already 10 pm here in Canada.  
Owen: Sydney does not own Final Fantasy IX or much else. Enjoy, review, favorite, follow. Share with your friends, pretty please. _

* * *

**Chapter 2: You better tell the truth or else.**

The last few hours consisted of us going over the plan, smoothing out all the rough edges and training in the practice room. The plan was rather simple. Once it is dark outside and everyone has gone to bed, we sneak our way to the elevator, take it down to the base level and then head towards the Outer Continent through Fossil Roo. Sure, it would be easier to find if we had a Qu Blue Mage with us but we couldn't ask Quina to lead us there and then turn back. She would go straight to Regent Cid, Freya, Queen Garnet and Steiner telling them where we were going and they would try to stop us.

"You ready?" Matthew said from the doorway of my room. This was probably going to be the last time we actually had a room and a bed for a while. He changed his clothes into something more normal and comfortable. He had a long white sleeve shirt underneath a grey sweater, grey gloves that covered his hands, black pants and grey boots. Attached to his belt were two swords, both hilts were a dark grey color with the symbols of Alexandria and Lindbum.

"Yeah, lets go." I said as I grabbed my bow and arrows off the side table. I was completely battle ready. I had the clothes I wore earlier but now I had two daggers attached to the black belt that was wrapped around my waist with a quiver filled with arrows. A bow was resting across my back with the string against my chest. My light brown tail was slightly moving behind me. The two of us left the room and quietly made our way down the hall towards the lift where Katherine was meeting us. As we walked, I noticed that there weren't any guards patrolling the halls. As we neared the lift I saw shoulder length blue hair and a large yellow bow. Eiko must have found out about our plan and wanted to come with us. As we went closer, I could see that she was wearing a red turtleneck, loose yellow pants that slightly flared out by her ankles, a yellow chest plate that connected to a belt around her waist. She had a flute attached to her belt and had white ankle boots. Katherine had on a black t-shirt underneath a scarlet red vest, white pants and black boots.

"You let Eiko come?" I whispered asked once we came into whispering range.

"It was either she comes or she send everyone after us. I had to let her come besides, it's not like we have a healer. What happens when one of us gets hurt? We didn't have enough time to stock up on potions." Katherine stated and I just nodded. We got on the lift, hiding crouching along the sides in order for people to not see us. Before I could even hit the button, the lift started moving. I looked behind me at Matthew to see this confused look on his face. I looked across the lift at Katherine to see a look of panic set on her face. We did not plan for the lift to stop on the mid level. When the lift stopped and the gate opened, a guy with short blond hair came into the lift. It cut off right at his jaw line and his bangs were moved towards the left side of his forehead. He had bright green eyes. He was wearing blue jeans, a white t-shirt underneath an orange jacket, brown boots. He had the Ravenclaw of Alexandria around his neck. I looked over at Katherine before I got up, threw one of my hands over his mouth and pulled him to the ground, hitting the lever to make the lift move to the ground floor.

"Stay quiet and you won't get hurt." I whispered in his ear as the gate opened, showing that we were on the base level. Katherine checked to see if there were any guards outside before motioning us out. Matthew, Katherine and Eiko made their way out of the lift as quickly as they could while I dragged blondie out. We got into the cart and headed towards Dragon's gate before I removed my hand.

"Okay, who are you and why do you have the Ravenclaw?" I asked as I grabbed one of my daggers out of my belt loop. "Remember, we are armed so if you don't tell the truth, something very bad could happen to you." I warned him.

"Owen Til Alexandros IX. I have the Ravenclaw because I took it from Queen Dagger in order to prove who I was here." Blondie, Owen, said. I could tell that he wasn't lying so i put my dagger away.

"I hope you realize that you won't have the chance now." Matthew said as we arrived at Dragon's Gate. The gate was open but there was no one around like we planned it.

"Please, I need to talk to the Regent. Queen Garnet has been depressed for years and I cannot figure out why. I was hoping that the Regent would know." He said as stopping right at the bottom step. I sighed as I turned to look at him.

"The whole reason we're leaving right now is to help the Queen. We're going to get the one thing that the world really needs." I said as I started to walk towards the gate.

"And what is that?" Owen asked making all four of us turn around to look at him.

"My older brother Zidane Tribal. Now, do you have a weapon or not?" I asked him, getting frustrated because we didn't have that much time before the guards came back. He shook his head no and I sighed, taking off my bow and quiver, giving it to him before turning back to the gate. I heard some mumbling and Katherine saying sorry before they started to run to catch up to me. As we walked out of the castle, I breathed in the scent of fresh air. It was good to be out in the world again, just wished I had Zidane next to me.

* * *

"There is the Qu's Marsh." Eiko stated as it came into view. Matthew, Katherine, Owen and I all sighed when she said that. We were only out of the castle for a hour but it was the most critical point at the moment. We had to get far enough away before we could talk normally without having soldiers coming to get us. We managed to get into a few battles and I will admit that Owen was actually pretty good with a bow.

"Lets go, it'll take us a while before we find Fossil Roo." I said as we started to walk faster. The sooner we got there, the faster we could find it. "Isn't that filled with mud?" Owen asked as if horrified with the idea of walking through the marsh.

"Yes but it's our only way to get to the Outer Continent. Now stop whining otherwise we are kicking you in the mud." I said as Eiko ran ahead. It may have only been four years in a castle but she was still as spunky as when she was six.

"Don't go too far Eiko!" Katherine said as she ran to catch up to her. Matthew followed close behind her leaving me with Owen.

"So… How did you get to Lindbum from Alexandria? It's a very long walk and it couldn't be possible to drive an airship without Dag-Queen Garnet noticing." I said almost calling her Dagger. She lost the right to that name when she started acting like a royal again. You would think that she would at least keep the talk at least around us.

"I used the Gargan Roo then walked to Dahi and caught an airship to Lindbum. There weren't many guards around in the castle so I just headed towards the lift where you guys caught me." He said and we just walked in silence for a couple of minutes before he asked, "Why is going to the Outer Continent so important to you?"

"My brother Zidane is there. I don't know if he is alive or not but I gotta try at least. It's been depressing ever since he didn't come back." I told him before walking faster. he must have gotten the hint that I didn't want to talk about Zidane anymore because he followed my pace.

"Welcome to the Qu's Marsh." Matthew said throwing a hand out to show the marsh off but it was only consisted of a mud like substance and think tall grass.

"Yeah, I've been here before, multiple times actually. It is not a really nice place to be. Quina always wanted to play with the frogs." I stated before moving past everyone and into the marsh. We walked onto the shore and stood there looking a little lost

"Wasn't Fossil Roo that way?" Matthew asked pointing to the left. Katherine and I looked that way and shook our heads no. We turned towards the right and started walking as far as we could until we hit more of the mud.

"So through that opening?" Owen asked pointing to the opening in between the grass. I nodded and we all started to walk again. I was starting to get nervous because of the possibility of Quina being around, looking for frogs. As we continued to walk, the grass completely covered us, making it hard for us to see where we were. We continued to walk for a few minutes then the grass opened to show an old evacuation site with the steps still in take. All the grey brick looked like it was going to fall any minute.

"We're here. Welcome to Fossil Roo. Watch your step and beaware. There might be a psycho killer coming after us in there. Always hated that guy." I said to the group, mainly Eiko and Owen because they were new to this area.

"It looks broken." Owen said as we started to walk into Fossil Roo.

"It looked like this last time as well, but you don't have to be scared. You have master fighters by your side." I said as we walked down the steps and into the tunnel. The last of our light going out as we walked in. All I could hear was the clicking of our boots against the stone floor.


	3. Chapter 3

_Sydney: Hello, chapter 3 is here. I was very bored today and didn't want to write an essay about _A Doll's House_. __Very boring work.  
__Owen: Yes and that means that instead of improving her grade, she'll write for you people.  
__Sydney: Yeah, yeah, whatever. I don't own Final Fantasy IX even though I really want to then I would make a Final Fantasy IX-2 and it would be awesome.  
__Owen: Enjoy reading, review, rate, favorite, etc. I don't care what you do as long as you make Sydney happy._

* * *

**Chapter 3: Where is everybody? **

"God, it is so wet!" Katherine said as she got hit in the face with water again. We were in the cavern where there were the faces the shoot jets of water at you to make you get off the vines.

"How many times have you've done that?" I asked from the ledge of where we firsted entered. Owen was standing next to me while Eiko and Matthew were on the other side of the wall.

"She's done this about twenty times this turn. Last time it was fifty." Matthew said and we all laughed at that. She refused to let me climb the vine to hit the switch.

"Shut up, I am going to get it!" Katherine stated as she started to climb the vine once again. I looked over at Owen before standing up and grabbing ahold of the vines and started to climb. I started to climb only to be hit by water. It was cold and wet. As I submerged from the pool of water that was placed at the bottom of the wall, I heard Katherine giggle.

"All part of the plan." I said as I climbed out of the water and walked up the smaller ledge. I grabbed hold of the vine, climbed up to the very top of the vine wall and slowly shuffled my way to the left. I briefly moved down a bit to avoid the last face before jumping onto the ledge where the switch was.

"Awe, come on! Why can't I do that?" Katherine asked as I hit the switch. Probably because she didn't have a tail and all the talents of the angel of death. I grabbed whole of the vine and started to climb down when a jet of water came at me, pushing me off the vine for a second time.

"Okay, I can't wait to get out of here!" I stated as I climbed out of the water. Right after I climbed out, Owen fell in since he needed to cross in order to get out with us.

"Yeah, I second that. It better be sunny out there." He stated as he climbed out and started walking towards the exit, the Gargan ride wasn't that bad until Matthew almost fell off.

"Bright light!" Eiko screamed as we came out of the cave. It was nice to be out in the sun again, plus my clothes and hair will dry soon.

"So now that we are on the Outer Continent, where exactly are we going?" Owen asked as we walked a few minutes away from Fossil Roo. We stopped to rest for a little while. Matthew, Katherine and I started to check out our weapons and other small things that we had brought along.

"The Lifa tree. Memoria appeared right above it when Kuja was still alive. He used the last of his power to transport the group out of Memoria. Zidane went back in to save Kuja." Matthew stated as he took out a lime green pendant that was shaped like half of the ying yang symbol. Vivi gave it to him right before they left us at Lindbum.

"And the only way to get there is to go through Conde Petie which means we have to deal with that whole marriage problem again." Katherine said as she pulled out a bright yellow pendant that was shaped like the other half of the ying yang symbol.

"Then after Conde Petie we have to go through the mountain path and then inside the actually Lifa Tree. Who knows what will happened when we get in there?" I stated as I moved to look at the path we were taking. It was gonna take a while just to get there.

"After we find Zidane, we'll most likely head to Madain Sari and rest. Then we'll have to find a way home. We can't use Fossil Roo since it's blocked off on this side. We'll probably have to go to the Black Mage Village and convince Mikoto and the other genomes to help us." Matthew stated as he helped Eiko up off the floor.

"Great, another visit to my little sister." I muttered as I held my hand out for Owen to grab it.

"I take you do not get along with your family." He said as he grabbed hold of my hand. I pulled him up and we all started to walk.

"They aren't my real family. My real family is on the Mist Continent and in that stupid Lifa Tree. The genomes are just people who look like Zidane and I." I said as we rounded the corner. Conde Petie was resting on two lifa roots right above our heads.

"Guys, am I the only one noticing that there are no monsters around?" Matthew asked making the rest of us look around.

"Are there suppose to be monsters around here?" Owen asked and I just nodded my head. Matthew was right, there were no monsters around here like there used to be. It was almost like they were all taken away.

"Lets just try to get to Conde Petie and not worry about this anymore." Katherine said as we continued to walk. We didn't talk that much as we walked mainly because we were all thinking about different things. Everything from Zidane to the genomes to the Lifa Tree. Throughout our walk, we didn't encounter any kind of monster which put me on edge even more.

* * *

"So this is Conde Petie. There is not much here." Owen said and I tried not roll my eyes at the way he was talking.

"Okay, before we go in, we gotta fix the way you talk. You sound too preppy and royal." I said as I grabbed his arm to stop him from walking inside.

"What do you mean but 'too royal'?" Owen asked and I heard Matthews sigh from behind me.

"You talk like you're still in the place and not out in the real world. You have to talk more like us." I told him.

"You mean talk like a thief? Well that shouldn't be that hard." Owen stated before I slapped the back of his head.

"Don't insult thieves. We tend to be better than you think." I told him as I looked over at Conde Petie. It was a simple flat building that acted like a bridge. There was moss and green plants growing on the stone along with dead roots from the Lifa Tree. It makes me wonder how Conde Petie is still standing.

"We going in or what?" Eiko asked getting a bit frustrated with the fact that we weren't moving.

"We will, we just gotta make a plan first." Katherine said, the rest of us turning towards her.

"Right, if we have to be married in order to go through, we need a couple to do it. I vote Sydney and Owen." Matthew said while Eiko and Katherine nodded their heads.

"Why us? And what about you three?" Owen asked.

"Are you trying to do what I think you're trying to do?" I asked and they just shrugged their shoulders. I sighed before stepping on the root, walking towards the village.

* * *

"Hello?! Rally-ho!" Katherine said as we walked into Conde Petie. It was completely quiet which was odd since those dwarves always liked to make noise and shout.

"Okay, here is what we're gonna do. Katherine, Eiko, you guys go to the item shop, get as much as you can carry. Matthew, Owen, you two go to the weapons shop, see if you can find any good weapons that we can use. Owen, find a better weapon than a bow and arrow, something that can be used in close combat. I'll see if there are any dwarves left. We meet at the exit once we're done." I told the group before heading down the straight corridor that lead to a hallway. I slowly made my way into the inn to see that nobody was there. After checking all the hiding placed, I headed back out to the hallway and up the stairs. The shrine on the upper floor consisted of the stone floor with a giant square hole cut out of it. A large Kirkboat was hanging in the middle of the shrine where couples use to stand in order for Father David Heavenguard to conduct his ritual ceremonies. I couldn't help but laugh as the memory of Zidane and Dagger getting married.

"Firaga!" Somebody screamed from across the room before the temperature of the room rised. Soon I was engulfed in a circle of fire that was closing in around me. When the fire died down, I was kneeling on the ground, my clothes having holes in them. I looked up to see a guy about sixteen years old with messy long white hair that stopped right at the edge of his jaw. He had bright yellow eyes and was wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, black pants and black shoes. "Who are you?" I asked as I got up from kneeling position and grabbed the handles of my daggers. If he wanted a fight, I would be more than willing to give him one.

"Nobody that would concern you. After all, you will be gone soon. Water!" He shouted at the end of his statement. I quickly cartwheeled away from where he was aiming, letting the water attack nothing. I quickly moved towards the guy, pulling my daggers out.

"Slow!" He shouted after I slashed at him a couple of times. My movements slowed down, making it easier for him to hit me. I could feel pain every single time he managed to hit me.

"Try this one on for size. Tidal Flame!" He said as a wave of fire appeared right in front of him which was aimed right at me. Since I still had slow on, I couldn't avoid it so I was hit. I wound up flying through the wall because that attack was more powerful than what Zidane could do.

"Sydney!" I heard Matthew said as I hit the Lifa Tree root. It was hurt like hell but I couldn't worry about the pain. I had to worry about that idiot who knew Vivi and Zidane's attacks. What else could he know?

"I'm fine, just focus on him." I nodded my head up towards the hole where the white haired guy was standing. He was looking down at us with a huge smile on his face. Matthew and Owen were at my sides helping me into a standing position.

"Well, well, well. It looks like you have friends. This should become interesting." The guy said as the three of us exchanged looks. This was not going to be fair fight since we weren't at our strongest and we didn't even know all of Owen's abilities. The only way we would be able to keep our lives is if we were to run towards the Lifa Tree and even that was not going to be easy.


	4. Chapter 4

_Sydney: Got nothing cute or funny to say. I don't own Final Fantasy IX. Major writer's block so all stories are probably gonna be on hold until I can get through it. _

* * *

**Chapter 4: Angel of Death**

"Okay Sydney, what are we up against?" Matthew whispered in my ear just as the wind kicked up, making my hair blow forward around my face.

"He knows all of Vivi's black magic as well as Zidane's dynes. I get the feeling that he knows more of our group's moves but I can't be completely sure until I see him use them." I whispered back to him as I looked the white haired guy in the eye. I had no idea what he wanted but I do know that we had to stop him.

"It really is a shame to destroy Garland's angel of death but you will stand in my way soon and I can't have that." The guy said and I held the breath that I had just taken. How did he know I was one of the angels of death. It was impossible to tell by looking at me and the other genomes.

"What does he mean by angel of death?" Owen asked as he turned his head to look at me.

"Too bad for you that there are more angels of deaths out there. We will take you down no matter what." I told that guy, ignoring Owen's question completely. We'll tell him all about it later.

"Really? It's too bad for me? Who are you trying to fool Sydney? One is dead, another is locked inside the ruins of a tree and the third is in a village with black mages and is refusing to leave her brothers and sisters. Face it, you are the only real angel of death left." He said and I knew that he was true. Mikoto didn't want to leave the Black Mage Village, Kuja was dead and Zidane was stuck in the lifa tree.

"But I'm the special one, aren't I? I look different from the other genomes." I stated as I got up, still looking at him. I could hear Katherine and Eiko talking as they came closer to us but I was focused on him.

"Yes, I guess that would make you special but you won't have the chance to find out why." He said as I looked over at Katherine and nodded my head. She would know what to do mainly because this was what we did when we need to run from monsters.

"Slow!" Katherine yelled pointing a wooden staff at the guy causing his movements to slow down.

"Soul Blade!" I yelled, blinding him making it possible for us to escape without him following us. I grabbed Matthew and Owen's arms and pulled them down the mountain path with Katherine and Eiko following us. We didn't stop running until we were at the three way path.

"Okay, what the hell was that?" Owen asked as we tried to catch our breaths.

"A man named Garland constructed people like me called Genomes to be vessels for the souls of the people of Terra when they awaken. Twenty-eight years ago, he gave life to a genome who had a will that was too strong to make him into a proper vessel. He sent that Genome as his servant, to disrupt the cycle of souls on Gaia." Matthew started the story that I somewhat despised.

"His name was Kuja and his ambition was unbecoming of a genome, but it was perfect for the mission he was given. To bring war and chaos to Gaia, to induce an unnaturally chaotic flow." Katherine continued explaining.

"When Zidane was received the gift of life, Kuja couldn't bear it. He couldn't bear to see a genome with more power than his own and he felt threatened. When he learned that I was given life, he discarded the both of us onto Gaia. The world he would destroy." I stated.

"So you and Zidane were to be Garland's slaves just like Kuja? You were suppose to start a war on Gaia?" Owen asked confused at this new information.

"Yes, they were except Garland didn't expect Kuja to abandon them. To Kuja, bringing war to Gaia would prove his victory over them. Garland wanted to disrupt Gaia's cycle and drain its souls, filling the void with the souls of Terra. With war going on, soon Gaia's souls would be gone and Gaia would become Terra." Eiko stated, her eyes looked as if they were glazed over as she remembered what happened after this time.

"Kuja was just an angel of death who sent souls to the Lifa tree but that was only temporary. Once Zidane became stronger than Kuja, Zidane was to take over his duties. Garland told me I had a greater purpose in his whole master plan but he never reveal what it was. The main reason why i don't know is because Zidane collapsed right in front of me." I finished explaining before I stood up straight. "Come on, we gotta get to the Lifa Tree before night. We'll camp out right outside tonight and then we'll start searching in the morning." I stated as everyone else got up. Soon we were up and walking towards the Lifa tree.

* * *

"_So, it wasn't Kuja." A large creature said as we stood in front of it. It was an undead being that looked like a tree._

_"Huh, what's going on? I can hear a voice inside my head!" Vivi complained as we looked at the creature in front of us. _

_"You just said Kuja!" I shouted as I looked over at Zidane._

_"Where is he!?" Zidane shouted as he bounced around in his spot. _

_"I do not know." The creature stated, making me a bit nervous. _

"_What are you doing here?" Dagger asked as if she was trying to be friends with it._

"_Are you the one who makes the Mist?" Zidane asked._

"_It is not produced. Mist is a by-product of the refining process. It is discharged through the roots." The creature stated once again._

"_So it's sent to other continents through the roots." I said as I took in all the details that we knew._

"_I contaminate the other continents with Mist to stimulate the fighting instinct. This, in turn, leads to war among the leaders of nations, and then to the fall of civilization. Kuja merely put the by-product to a different use." The creature explained._

"_A different use!? What is Kuja trying to do!?" VIv asked, scared of what was to come next._

"_I cannot lie. Kuja used the waste product to make weapons. Weapons...like yourself." The creature said and we gasped at this. I knew that he was talking about Vivi but I really didn't care. _

"_He's really ticking me off! Can I kill him?" Eiko asked as she held her flute up._

"_Wait, Eiko! What kind of weapons did Kuja make?" Zidane asked._

"_Kuja called them black mage, dark spawn of the Mist." The creature said._

"_So the factory in Dali was really…" Dagger started talking before the creature interrupted her._

"_Defeat me, and no more Mist will flow. And then no more weapons like this puppet here will be made. Answer me puppet. Do you deny your very birth?" He asked Vivi._

"_No more!" Vivi shouted "I won't let you make any more instruments of murder!" _

"_Way to go Vivi! I know it must be hard for you. We can knock off this rat now, right?" Eiko asked as she held her flute up again._

"_Alright! Let's bust him up! Who knows, it might even lure Kuja here!" Zidane said as he pulled his daggers._

"_I have seen the end of my thousand-year life, and it is not now. You cannot stop me. It is futile even to try." The creature, Soulcage, shouted as we ran up to him and started attacking._

* * *

"It completely collapsed." Katherine stated as we stood right outside the Lifa tree. It use to stand high in the air and was as tall as the mountains that divide it from Conde Petie and the rest of the continent. Now it was just a bunch of dead roots in a pit.

"How are we even going to get down there?" Owen asked. I moved closer to the edge to see that it was a straight drop down.

"I have no idea." I said as I turned around to look at them.

"Well, shouldn't you have figured this out before we even left the castle?" Owen asked before we heard a loud crack. Soon the ledge that I was standing on started to move downwards.

"Sydney!" Owen yelled as he made the jump to get to me. Eiko, Matthew and Katherine were standing close to the edge looking to see if he made it. Owen flew just over the rock that was sliding down fast. I quickly wrapped my tail around his ankle and pulled him up onto the rock. Once he stood up, we jumped onto the dead roots. My shoulder managed to hit one of the huge roots that was big enough for us to walk on, causing pain course through my body.

"You alright?" I asked Owen as I moved to a sitting position, my left hand holding onto my right shoulder.

"The real question is are you alright?" Owen stated/asked at the same time.

"Sydney, Owen! You guys better not be dead!" Eiko screamed, making it impossible for me to answer him.

"Yeah! We're fine...for the most part." I yelled backing, whispering the last little bit.

"You guys find a way to get us back up there later. We'll go inside and find Zidane." Owen shouted at them as he moved closer to me. "Can I look at your shoulder, please?" He asked as he looked at my right shoulder which still had my left hand covering it. I looked at it then back at him before moving my hand away.

"Fine but don't hurt me even more." I told him as he grabbed one of my daggers. "What are you doing with that?" I asked as he moved it close to my shirt.

"I am just slightly cuting your sleeve so I can cure your shoulder." He said as he place the tip of the dagger in the middle of the seam in front of the shoulder and dragged it backwards until the seam was evenly cut.

"Okay, sleeve is cut, what do you plan to do?" I asked as he placed my dagger back into it's holster.

"Cure it." He said as he placed his hands over my shoulder. Soon a green light emotes from his hand and covered my shoulder. In due time, my shoulder stopped hurting.

"You can do white magic?" I asked when he finished curing my shoulder.

"Yeah. Always have been even though I haven't had a real use for it." He stated as he helped me up to my feet.

"Well, we're gonna need it. Let's go save my brother." I said as we turned to look at the Lifa Tree.


	5. Chapter 5

p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"span style="font-family: Arial;"emspan style="font-size: 15px;"Sydney: Lookie lookie! New chapter for the people of fan /span/em/spanemspan style="font-size: 15px;"!/span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"emspan style="font-size: 15px;"Owen: We really need to get you a new hobby./spanbr /span style="font-size: 15px;"Sydney: Shut up man! I finally finish a chapter instead of starting a new story and this is how I get treated. You really hurt /Owen: Yeah, whatever. Sydney does not own Final Fantasy IX or anything really. Enjoy, review, favourite, follow, etc. /span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"emspan style="font-size: 15px;"_/span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"strongspan style="font-size: 11.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black;"Chapter 5: Dangerous Situation and you're screaming/span/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';" /span"Wasn't it dangerous in here before it collapsed?" Owen asked as I used one of my daggers to slash at the vines that we're blocking our path. We managed to get inside the collapsed tree but we weren't that far inside./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Yeah, it was horrible. Undead monsters popped out at anytime. The roots went in all different directions and if you went the wrong way, you were screwed. Besides, there was only one way inside and out. We actually defeated the creature that had been creating the Mist." I explain as I turned to look at him./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Really? You were behind the Mist disappearing the first time?" He asked shocked before yawning./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Yup, now let's rest here for the night. There is not much we could do at the moment. It'll take days for us to even get close to where Zidane could be." I stated as I put my dagger away. Owen just nodded before going into the bag Katherine gave him. I sat down on the root and looked back at the hole we created. It was big enough for the two of us to walk through without any kind of problems./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""So what was Zidane like?" Owen asked as he sat next to me on the root./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""He was cocky, caring, nice, as happy as can be, passionate, stubborn, idiotic. Most of all, he was falling in love and it was nice to see that he was happy even though everything was going on. It was really depressing when he didn't come back." I told him as I looked down at the root we were sitting on. "Either way, tell me about Alexandria. What was it like living with Queen Garnet?" I asked trying to get the topic off of Zidane./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""It was fine when we were younger. Garnet and I would play together; learn how to cure simple injuries and whatnot. Everything changed when she turned sixteen and was kidnapped by that group. She disappeared and left me with our mother who just wasn't right. Both times she came back she was so depressed. For the past four years, she focused on the problems facing Alexandria. She has Beatrix and Steiner worrying about her and her mental health." Owen stated as he moved to lie down on the root./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""How about you go to sleep now. I'll take first watch." I told him./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Aren't you tired too?" He asked before yawning./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Only slightly. Honestly, I spent days awake on eight hours of sleep before. I'm fine with staying up." I told him and he just nodded his head and fell asleep. About two hours after he fell asleep I started talking to myself./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""What if we don't find him down here? What if he was dead?" I asked myself as I thought out loud to myself. I just felt like I need to get all my thoughts out. "All of this would have been for nothing. What happens when we get back to Lindbum? Will we be on lockdown or something else? What the hell did I get everyone into?" I sighed as I looked over at Owen. He had been tossing and turning in his sleep. His hair was all messed up and his mouth was slightly open. I had to admit, he was cute when he slept./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Owen, wake up." I whispered as I poked his leg. He moaned and rolled away as he swatted my hand away. "Owen get up right now or else I'm going to leave you behind in the Lifa Tree." I told him and he sat up right away./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""I'm up! Lets go!" He shouted as he stood up and started walking towards the vines that were blocking our path./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Would you like a dagger?" I asked him as I got up from my spot. He nodded his head and I pulled one of my daggers out of its holster, passing it to him./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Thanks." He said before slashing away at the roots. We continued to move down the tree, switching positions when the other was starting to get sore./p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Times; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"- /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal""That was not there before." I said as we looked around. We were currently in the area where the little platform was that led lower into the tree but now that platform was gone and vines were completely covering it, the ends falling off the edges into the dark./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""I believe that." Owen said as he moved closer to me./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""I also have no idea what to do now." I honestly told him as I looked up at the vines that were covering the area./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Zidane!" Owen yelled into the darkness. I looked over at him with a raised eyebrow, unsure of what he was doing. "Zidane! If you're in here alive, come out please!"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""What the hell are you doing?" I hissed at him as I covered his mouth with his hand./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""You had no idea what to do so shouting into the void seemed like the next best thing." He said shrugging his shoulders./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Did you not see the thing I attempted to fight in Conde Petie? The thing that knows black magic and my brother's dynes and probably all of our moves making it impossible for us to destroy him. We just saw that and now that we are in a very dangerous situation, you do not want to draw attention to ourselves. Now go climb down the vines." I told him as I pointed to the vines in front of us./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""So we're in a dangerous situation and you want to climb down vines into the darkness where we don't know what is down there. That's a very smart plan Sydney." He said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Well it's either we sit here and do nothing or we go into the darkness." I told him as I head towards the vines./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Wished we had some kind of black magic with us." Owen muttered before following me down the vines./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Sorry, the only person who knows black magic is Katherine but she is trying to find a way for us to get out." I told him before we fell silent. We climbed down the vines, stopping whenever there was the slightest movement around us or noises coming from the tree itself. As we moved down the vines, I could feel my hands twitching at the thought of finding Zidane down below but the thought of keeping Owen alive made my heart beat quicker. I was never in charged of taking care of someone before. That was always Zidane and Dagger's jobs./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Sydney." Owen said quietly. I didn't respond to him right away, just concentrated on vines in front of me./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""What do you want Owen?" I asked not bothering to look up./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""We're going to find him." He stated and I sighed. He was trying to make me think positively but I never there was a very good chance that he wouldn't be there when the time came./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;"- /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""The light has gone out." I said once we reached the bottom of the vines. Before, there was this bright green light that shone throughout this whole section of the tree but now it was gone, leaving the two of us in darkness./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""There was a light in here before?" Owen asked from beside me. His hand was warm in mine. When I first entered this chamber, I grabbed his hand out of shock./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Yeah, there was a light. I believe this is where the cycle of souls occurred which was why there was such a bright light shining before." I explained./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Didn't you say earlier that Kuja was sending Gaia's souls to the Lifa Tree in order to get Terra's souls into Gaia? If that was the case, once Kuja was defeated the whole transferring of souls would has ceased and when the tree collapsed, killing Kuja, there was no need to transfer the souls between Gaia and Terra anymore." Owen explained, shocking me with the very fact that he was actually listening earlier./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""I am actually very shocked that you figured that out. But that must be the case at the moment. The only problem at the moment is to figure out where to go now." I told him as I turned my head around only to see darkness./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Probably not towards the two glowing eyes that are watching us right at this very moment." Owen said as two blue eyes appeared in the distance, watching our movements. This creature was probably planning an attack strategy./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;""Okay, who ever you are, please don't attack us at the moment. Or if you don't want to do that, just attack already." I said with a slightly sarcastic tone to my voice./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Sydney." The eyes said and I froze. For a second I though I recognized the voice but it couldn't have been Zidane. I would have known it was he in less then five seconds./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Yes." I whispered only to be greeted but silence again./p  
p class="MsoNormal""I don't think this thing wants to talk to us at the moment." Owen whispered in my ear just before a ball of fire appeared. The dim light was so bright for the two of us that we had to turn our eyes away from it./p  
p class="MsoNormal""I can't believe it." The voice said. It was quieter and rougher than a normal voice should have sounded, as if the voice had been stuck inside this collapsed tree for four years./p  
p class="MsoNormal""What can't you believe?" Owen asked the voice. My eyes had adjusted to the dim light of the fire and I turned my head back towards where the eyes were. There was an older woman with long gray hair that was pulled in a low ponytail. She had on clothes that would have been found in Madain Sari if the place had survived Kuja's attack./p  
p class="MsoNormal""He talks so much about two girls. One named Dagger and the other named Sydney. Sydney has light brown hair and blue eyes. He says it would be impossible not to recognize her and know I understand what he means." The old woman said as she moved closer to us./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Do you know his name?" I asked the woman once she was close enough./p  
p class="MsoNormal""No, he never says it. Just mutters on about having to get back home. To get back to Sydney and Dagger before they give up." She says and it felt like my breath was forcibly taken out of my lungs./p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Could you take us to this man?" I asked her, with hope gleaming in my eyes./p  
p class="MsoNormal""Of course, but be warned, the road from here to there is very dangerous./p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Danger is now my middle name." Owen said as we started to follow the woman who was controlling the fireball./p 


	6. Chapter 6

Sydney: So here is a new chapter out for Final Fantasy IX: the Pendents! Took me a while to get this done but I did finish it finally.  
Katherine: Yeah, after forever. She's been busy working and other things. Either way, Sydney does not own Final Fantasy IX or anything else really.  
Sydney: Enjoy reading, favorite, review, follow, anything like that.

* * *

**Chapter 6: I can see sunlight!**

"Can we really trust her?" Owen whispered in my ear as we followed the woman through the vines.  
"No idea, but I believe that she knows where Zidane is and I want to find him. I'll follow any lead I get at this point." I told him as we crouched underneath some thick vines. The woman wasn't kidding when she said that this route was dangerous. Vines were everywhere, blocking the main path down and more vines were falling around us as the tree slowly re-collapsed in on itself.  
"What if she is leading us down the wrong path? It could be months before we manage to get out of here again." He whispered, scared that the woman would hear him  
"There should only be one way down and this is it." I explained as I ducked another vine. Just as I moved my foot forward to take another step, it slid down into a drop of some kind.  
"Sydney!" Owen shouted as he grabbed my hand so that the rest of me didn't fall down as well.  
"Thanks for the catch. You seem to be saving me a lot lately." I asked as I placed my foot on a sturdy section of the vine  
"Well, that's the whole reason I came with you. So you wouldn't kill yourself." He said as he smiled at me. I couldn't help but smile back at him before continuing to move forward. It was hard to tell where we were going with all the vines but I knew that he had to be down.  
"We are very close now." The old woman said as she stepped down onto some hard surface. We quickly followed her down and through the darkness that was surrounding us.  
"It has to be him. There is no way it can't be him." I whispered to myself as we walked.  
"It will be, otherwise we keep trying." Owen whispered in my ear as a larger fire appeared in the distance. As we got close, I could see a dark figure sitting near the fire. The dark blond hair was pulled back into a very long ponytail. The clothes he had on clung to his body in a very unflattering way.  
"Zidane?" I whispered into the air. I wasn't completely sure it was him but I had to try. The man turned to look at us and I could see his bright blue eyes, dimmer than they use to be but they were still the same shade.  
"Sydney?" The man called out in a rough, scratchy voice. I couldn't help but feel tears come to my eyes as I looked at the man in front of me.  
"Is it really you?" I asked as I took small steps towards him.  
"I didn't think I would ever see you again." Zidane said which made me throw myself in his arms.  
"It really is you." I whispered as tears started to fall from my eyes. I didn't think that I was really going to see him. Every time I thought about escaping Lindbum, something stopped me before I had the chance to see him. Cid found us escaping the castle, guards found us heading towards the Qu's Marsh, we couldn't find our way out of Fossil Roo, and somebody came to get us before we entered the Lifa Tree, or we couldn't find him in the Lifa Tree. Every single scenario I laid out, ended in disaster for not only me but for whoever came along.  
"What are you doing here Sydney? You were supposed to stay in Lindbum." Zidane asked as he pulled away from me.  
"I couldn't sit around and wait for you to find your own way out. I couldn't act like the perfect little princess you were expecting me to become while I knew that you weren't going to see me. That you wouldn't have the chance to see any of what we've become." I told him as I looked away from him. I knew that he was going to be mad. I knew that he was going to be upset with the fact that we ran away from Lindbum.  
"You know, that was a very stupid move." He said and I couldn't help but smile.

* * *

_"You know, that was a stupid move." I told Zidane as the two of us walked towards the ladder that led to the main deck._  
_"It wasn't like I did it on purpose!" Zidane defended himself. I couldn't help but smile at him._  
_"Of course you did, you just don't think you did it on purpose." I smiled at him before I started climbing the ladder._  
_"You're more trouble than you're worth Sydney." Zidane said as I pushed open the door at the top of the ladder._  
_"Well you know I got my characteristics from my brother. It's all his fault." I said as I jumped out onto the deck._  
_"That is a very mean thing to say about your amazing big brother. I think you should apologize to him." Zidane said as he followed me on deck. I was about to reply when I noticed Steiner on deck._  
_"What the heck were you doing? You almost took off without us!" I shouted at Steiner, pushing past Zidane._  
_"That is because…this ship's crew…" Steiner started to explain before he caught up to the situation. "Why, you…! Where is the princess?!"_  
_"In the engine room." Zidane answered._  
_"She is on the ship!?" Steiner asked. The two of us nodded our heads, not daring to make any kind of sarcastic response._  
_"All is well, now. This ship is returning to the castle." Steiner stated and I could feel my eyes roll at this statement. "You two will be hanged for the kidnapping of a member of the royal family! Enjoy your freedom while you can." He once again stated. I looked over at Zidane before the two of us headed towards the bridge to turn the ship around._

* * *

"We made a lot of stupid moves years ago. I believe you made the stupidest move of all. Now would you just let me fix it?" I asked with a small smile on my face. He stepped back and took a good look at me for sighing.  
"I guess I have no choice in this matter." He said only for me to nod my head, signalling that he really didn't.  
"Then the first thing we have to discuss is Owen." I said as I turned to look back at Owen. When we turned back to Owen, his eyes widened.  
"I would like to present to you Owen Til Alexandros IX. Garnet's heir to the throne of Alexandria." I said as I moved closer to Owen. "And this is the legendary Zidane Tribal." I stated as I turned towards Zidane once I was by Owen's side.  
"It is an honor to meet you Mr. Tribal." Owen said. His eyes were full of glee as he watched Zidane. At the same time, I could see Zidane careful watching Owen, analyzing every move he made.  
"How did you two meet?" Zidane asked. I was so confused when he asked this.  
"She kidnapped me. Her and the rest of her group where hiding on the elevator when I walked on. They kind of held me hostage until we were out of Lindblum." Owen explained and I could see a small smile appear on Zidane's face.  
"Sorry to break up the conversation but maybe we should get out of here and fast." I said as a dead vine came crashing down in the distance.  
"Yeah, she's right. The tree is going to collapse any moment." Zidane said as we started moving back the way we came. I turned around to grab the old woman but she wasn't there anymore. It was like she disappeared the moment we met up with Zidane.  
"How did you guys get in here in the first place?" Zidane asked as Owen lead the way back to our tunnel.  
"We jumped across the gap. Actually, it was more like a piece of land fell beneath my feet, causing me to fall. Owen jumped over the end and got us over." I explained, dodging another vine that started falling.  
"Katherine, Mathew and Eiko are on the other side trying to find a way to get us back over." Owen stated.  
"You brought Katherine, Mathew, and Eiko along with you on this crazy mission? Are you completely crazy or completely insane?" Zidane asked as he looked over his shoulder at me.  
"Katherine and Mathew volunteered to come. They were the ones that pretty much made up the whole escape plan. Eiko gave us no choice just like in the good old days. It was either she came with us or she would tell everyone what we were up to. And I believe that we all know how well news travels when Eiko is the one spreading in." I told him as I threw my hands up over my head.  
"If Eiko did tell somebody about what happened, I would be in so much more trouble than I already am." Owen said and I couldn't help but laugh. After a minute or so Owen started laughing as well. I could easily tell that Zidane was confused but I couldn't care at the moment.

* * *

"Hey, I can see sunlight. We're almost out!" Owen said after a few hours. After our laughing fit, none of us actually talked, just walked.  
"It's going to get really bright soon bro. Be ready for it." I said just as Owen walked out of the tunnel and into the sunlight. Soon Zidane and I walked out, my hands automatically coming up to shield my eyes from light. After a few minutes, I pulled my hands away and turned towards Zidane. He hand both hands covering both eyes, blocking out the sunlight completely.  
"Come on, we gotta get moving." I said as I grabbed his arm and pulled him lightly towards the edge.  
"Well how do you expect us to get back across?" I heard Owen shout at the others.  
"Thought that we had more time. Plus we thought that there would only be two of you." Mathew said back.  
"Eiko!" I shouted, letting go of Owen's arm and cupping my hands around my mouth so that the sound would travel farther.  
"What do you want Sydney?" Eiko screamed back as she sat up from where she was laying.  
"Could you summon an Eidolon to come get us?" I asked and I could just picture her sighing at the idea.  
"Fine, fine." Eiko said as she got up and pulled out her flute. She concentrated and a fire bird came flying down from the sky. It flew down towards us, stopping only when it reached our level. Owen quickly climbed onto the back while I guided Zidane towards the bird. Once we were all on, the bird (Phoenix) took off towards Eiko. Once the three of us were firmly on the ground, the Phoenix flew upwards towards the sky and disappeared.  
"Well, that was always one way of doing that." Mathew shrugged his shoulders.  
"Surprised you didn't think about that genius." I told Mathew with a smile on my face.  
"Zidane!" Eiko shouted as she ran towards him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling herself closer to him.  
"It's been a long time Eiko." Zidane said as he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her hair. It was a touching moment until Eiko ruined it.  
"You jerk!" She shouted as she pulled away and slapped Zidane across that face. "You could have not gone back in there! Do you know how much damage you caused all of us?"  
I turned around, grabbing the other three and pulling them away from Zidane and Eiko. They needed to sort things out for themselves.  
"So what are we doing now?" Mathew asked once we were out of earshot.  
"I think that we should avoid going to Conde Petie. Don't want to run into that crazy person again." Owen said and I couldn't agree with him more.  
"We should head to Madain Sari. We would still have to go through the Mountain Path but we wouldn't have to go through Conde Petie like we did last time." I said, sitting down on the ground.  
"Wouldn't the Black Mage Village be smarter? At least there are people in the Village. There is nobody in Madain Sari." Katherine said.  
"We would have to pass through Conde Petie in order to get to the Black Mage Village." Mathew said.  
"Heading to Madain Sari would be the safer move at the moment. Zidane most likely wouldn't be able to handle a long journey at the moment. He just got out of the Lifa Tree after four years." Owen stated and I just nodded my head.  
"Plus Madain Sari does have the moogles to help us when we get there. There is also clean water, fish to fish, buildings to protect us from weather and all that stuff. Seems like the smartest movie at the moment." I stated. Katherine sighed as rejected her idea of not going to the Village but she would be fine as soon as we started moving.  
"So, do we have any idea where we are going?" Eiko asked as her and Zidane came towards us.  
"Yeah, Madain Sari." I stated as the four of us got up from the ground. I could tell that Eiko was excited about going back to her home and Zidane was revealed that he didn't have to go far.  
"What about Conde Petie?" Zidane asked.  
"We have reasons to avoid that place for the moment. We'll tell you more once we get to Madain Sari." Mathew said as we started walking. He and Katherine taking the lead while Owen and I covered the rear.


End file.
